TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Governor Charlie Crist recently announced 10 appointments to the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee. One of the appointments was Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ (COPPS) associate professor of economic, social and administrative pharmacy (ESAP), Ellen Campbell, Ph.D., who succeeded Jason Brodeur and will serve a one-year term.

The purpose of the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee is to develop and implement a voluntary Medicaid preferred prescribed drug designation program, as mandated in the 2000 session of the Florida legislature, SB 2034.

The Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee will meet quarterly to recommend policy for the operation of Florida’s multi-billion dollar Medicaid drug program. The committee’s first scheduled meeting is October 21, in Tampa, Fla.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity to apply my knowledge to real world issues,” said Campbell. “In this role, I hope to be a good steward for Florida taxpayers dollars while helping enhance the quality of life for Medicaid recipients.”

Campbell’s field of expertise is in pharmacoeconomics and she further explained that, “The field of pharmacoeconomics is designed to compare the cost of a drug or therapy with its benefits. Benefits are ambiguous and can be measured as cost savings, or improved effectiveness in treating the illness, or improved quality of life for the patient relative to the current treatment.”

COPPS offers a master’s degree in pharmacoeconomics.

“We are elated and congratulate Campbell on her prestigious appointment to the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee,” said Henry Lewis III, PharmD., dean and professor, FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “This has been Governor Crist’s second committee appointment of FAMU COPPS faculty. Just last month, Marlon Honeywell, PharmD. was appointed to the Diabetes Advisory Council.”